Translation guide
A downpour is a sudden, heavy rain. In Japanese, the most common and natural way to express this is 土砂降り (どしゃぶり). Other expressions exist for varying intensities and contexts, from casual to literary.
Describing a sudden, intense rainfall, like a cloudburst.
The most common and natural word for a downpour. It implies very heavy rain, often sudden. Can be used as a noun or with する to mean 'it's pouring'.
I got soaked in the sudden downpour.
It's pouring outside.
Literally 'big rain'. A general term for heavy rain, but less vivid than 土砂降り. Commonly used in weather forecasts.
There will be heavy rain tonight.
Torrential rain, often used in news reports for severe rain causing disasters. More formal than 土砂降り.
The trains stopped due to torrential rain.
Alternate kanji/kana spelling of 土砂降り. Same meaning and usage.
I walked in the downpour.
Emphasizing the sudden onset and possibly short duration of heavy rain.
A sudden evening shower, common in summer. Often implies a downpour that starts and stops quickly.
It looks like an evening shower is coming, so let's take an umbrella.
A sudden shower or rainstorm. Can be heavy but not necessarily as intense as 土砂降り.
Describing the visual intensity of rain, as if it's a solid wall of water.
Literally 'rain like a waterfall'. A vivid simile for a downpour.
I can't see ahead because of the rain coming down in sheets.
Idiomatic expression: 'rain as if buckets are being overturned'. Very common and natural.
Using verbs to describe the rain falling heavily.
土砂降り is the most colloquial and vivid for a sudden, intense downpour. 大雨 is a general term for heavy rain, often used in forecasts. 豪雨 is more formal and used for severe, often disaster-level rain.
The English word 'downpour' is a noun, but in Japanese it's often more natural to use a verb phrase like 土砂降りだ or 激しく降っている rather than a direct noun equivalent in every context.
I got caught in a downpour.
The downpour caused flooding.
The game was interrupted by a sudden shower.
It's raining buckets, isn't it?